Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils, Vol. 42, No.

4, 2006

LUBRICANT BASED ON USED MOTOR OIL

V. V. Ostrikov, N. N. Tupotilov, A. Yu. Kornev, and S. V. Vlasov UDC 621.892

A lubricant is proposed – an analog of transmission oil made from exhaustively treated used motor oil
with addition of a thickener and a special additive package. The results of an evaluation of its
physicochemical and some performance properties are reported.

During use of motor oil, the content and composition of the additives changes significantly. It is impossible
to judge the amount of antioxidant, antiwear, depressant, and other additives that remain in used oil after an oil
change. The residual reserve of additives differs in use of different machines with different loads and in different
mechanical condition.
With some confidence, we can hypothesize that the level of the performance properties of used oil is
higher than for the base distillate used for preparing fresh (commercial) transmission oils. However, the important
amounts of contaminants and products of oxidation in the used oil make it unsatisfactory for use even in the least
loaded parts.

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1
0 2

Fig. 1. Viscosity n (solid curve) and acid number AN (dashed curve) of lubricant
composition vs. concentration C t of KP-20 thickener in it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
VIITiN. Translated from Khimiya i Tekhnologiya Topliv i Masel, No. 4, pp. 35 – 37, July – August, 2006.

276 0009-3092/06/4204–0276 © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

 0.27 16.8 0.9
0.24 16.6 0.8

0.18 16.2 0.6

2

0.12 15.8 0.4

1 3

0.06 15.4 0.2

0 15 0
0 2 4 6 8

Fig. 2. Indexes of physicochemical properties of the oil vs. concentration of

additives C a in it: 1) viscosity n; 2) acid number AN; 3) insoluble sediment content C i.s .

Until the mid-90s, there were no methods for exhaustive treatment of used motor oils directly by the
consumer, which did not allow efficiently and rationally utilizing them. In recent years, technologies and equipment
for exhaustive “sparing” treatment of used motor oils have appeared. One of these technologies intended for use
in the conditions of companies from the agroindustrial complex (AIC) was proposed by VIITiN [1, 2].
A series of studies on refining of the oil base (exhaustively refined used motor oil) with different individual
additives was conducted based on this technology. The oil compositions obtained received positive responses
from users working with agricultural equipment. However, the use of these compositions is limited to isolated
cases. This is due to the absence of a comprehensive scientific approach to the study of the oil base combined
with additives and also the package of additives available for agriculture to ensure that the oil recovers all the
necessary properties.
To solve this problem, we developed a scientifically justified economical technology for production of
lubricants – analogs of TEp-15 transmission oil [3] – with a special package of additives.
In the course of the studies, it was indirectly established that exhaustively refined (in “sparing” conditions
with respect to sifting out additives according to VIITiN technology) used motor oil contains 20-30% of the
additives present in fresh commercial oils. As a function of the initial physicochemical state of the oil, the amount
of additives can be above or below this range. However, even with more than 30%, the additives did not negatively
affect the overall component composition of the oil. This allows keeping such important indexes as the acid
number, sediment content, and lubricant properties within the required limits and adding the small additive
package with a wide range of action to the exhaustively refined used oil.
Exhaustively refined used motor oil with the following physicochemical characteristics was investigated
to determine the optimum component composition of the lubricant composition – a transmission oil analog:
viscosity at 100°C, 7.5 mm 2/sec; acid number, 0.1 mg KOH/g; flash point (open cup), 170°C; insoluble sediment
content, 0.08%; color, 5 CST units.
To give the oil base viscous properties, it was thickened with a special additive while controlling the acid
number. The effect of the concentration of KP-20 thickener on the viscosity and acid number of the lubricant

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composition is shown in Fig. 1. Formation of sediments after mixing the base with the thickener was determined
visually. No sediments were found in any samples, even after settling for 30 days.
When transmission oil with good low-temperature properties and low viscosity, 8-10 mm 2/sec, was used,
marked savings of fuel were attained, especially in starting to move and in heating of the oil in the transmission
parts. At higher viscosity, 15-16 mm2 /sec, the possibility of reducing fuel consumption was much lower. In
addition, formation of an oil film on the surface of parts is a function of the viscosity: the higher the viscosity, the
thicker the film and the lower the wear index.
In operation of tractor transmission parts and assemblies, conditions of friction of boundary lubrication
and mixed friction are dominant. The content of functional additives that protect friction surfaces from scuffing
and wear and not the viscosity of the oil plays the primary role in these conditions.
To give the lubricant composition a high level of antiwear, antioxidant, anticorrosion, and antiscuffing
properties, a half-package of additives from Pigment OJSC developed for transmission oils was added to the oil
base thickened with the viscosity additive.
The concentration of the additives was determined by the change in the viscosity, acid number,
thermooxidative stability, and insoluble sediment content. The thickened base had the following physicochemical
properties: viscosity at 100°C, 15 mm2 /sec; acid number, 0.3 mg KOH/g; insoluble sediment content, 0.03%.
The effect of the concentration of the additive package on the viscosity, acid number of the lubricant
(TEp-15 transmission oil analog), and insoluble sediment content is shown in Fig. 2. During mixing of the thickened
base with the additive package, the viscosity and insoluble sediment content increased. This can be attributed to
the “complex” structure of the additives. The increase in the acid number from 0.3 to 0.8 mg KOH/g due to refining
of the base with different additives can be evaluated as a natural process.
The physicochemical properties of the composition are within acceptable limits for the requirements for
commercial oils. An exception is the slightly elevated insoluble sediment content. However, the results obtained
are not complete evidence of the conformity of the properties of the composition with the properties of fresh TEp-
15 commercial transmission oil.
As noted previously, the thickness of the “protective” film formed on the surface of the metal greatly
affects the reliability of operation and degree of wear of transmission parts. In turn, this index, one of the most
important performance indexes, is a function of many factors, including the nature and viscosity of the base oil,
the thickening power of the additives, and the temperature [1].
The thickness of the oil film formed on a St3 steel plate was determined after dipping it in
fresh TEp-15 transmission oil, used motor oil before treatment and after exhaustive treatment of the base, and in
the VIITiN lubricant composition consisting of the base, thickener, and Pigment OJSC additive package. After
draining for 1 h at 20°C, the film thickness was respectively 33.9, 43.9, 40.2, and 58.4 mm.

Table 1
Film thickness (mm) at temperature, °C
Oil
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Commercial TEp-15 35.5 34.3 33.9 32.4 31.6 31.1 30.4 29.5
Used motor
before treatment 45.2 44.3 43.9 39.8 30.6 25.4 21.3 20.1
after exhaustive treatment of base 42.2 41.1 40.2 35.2 30.4 25.6 21.1 19.8
VIITiN lubricant composition 63.2 61.5 58.4 52.2 48.1 43.2 38.5 33.2

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Table 2

Exhaustive treated used motor oil Wear scar diameter, mm

With no additives 0.29
With additive composition
1% КP-20 + 1% AP 0.29
1% КP-20 + 2% AP 0.26
2% КP-20 + 2% AP 0.25
3% КP-20 + 2% AP 0.24
3% КP-20 + 3% AP 0.24
4% КP-20 + 3% AP 0.23
4% КP-20 + 4% AP 0.21
5% КP-20 + 4% AP 0.2
5% КP-20 + 5% AP 0.2
5% КP-20 + 6% AP 0.19
6% КP-20 + 5% AP 0.18
6% КP-20 + 6% AP 0.16

The almost 40% greater film thickness for the used motor oil in comparison to fresh oil could be due to the
resins, asphaltenes, carbenes, and carboids in it, which slowed drainage. In the exhaustively treated used oil,
these components were almost absent, but it formed a relatively thick film due to the effect of the separating agent
used in the treatment. The thickest oil film was obtained in studying the VIITiN lubricant composition.
The film thickness is a function of the temperature – the most important performance index that affects the
tribotechnical characteristics of the transmission system. This dependence was investigated at temperatures of 0
to 70°C, close to the real conditions of the oil in tractor transmission parts and systems.
The data in Table 1 indicate the different degree of the effect of the temperature. The insignificant effect
on the thickness of the film formed by TEp-15 oil is probably due to the effect of the additive package added to it
by the manufacturer and the thermal stability of its base.
The decrease in the thickness of the film formed by the used motor oil with an increase in the temperature
from 40 to 70°C by more than 1.8 times can be explained by loss of the “protective” effect of resins and asphaltenes
and an increase in their fluidity, which is a negative factor.
The thickness of the film of exhaustively treated used motor oil changes similarly under the effect of the
temperature, but without any sharp jumps.
For the VIITiN lubricant composition, this index can be almost two times higher than for commercial oils at
low temperature and remains high at high temperatures. However, this finding cannot be unambiguously interpreted
as positive, since the oil film thickness is a function of the viscosity to some degree. It can play a negative role in
the performance of the oil in the winter due to the possible increase in fuel consumption in the initial stage of
operation.
The dynamics of the change in the oil film thickness under the effect of the temperature is shown
in Fig. 3.
The lubricant properties of these oils were evaluated in a four-ball wear tester – a KT-2 analog, with a wear
scar diameter with a 200 N load on the ball and oil temperature of 70°C. The selected temperature conditions are

279
 70
4

h, μm
50
2

30
1 3

10
0 20 40 60 70

Fig. 3. Oil film thickness h vs. oil temperature t: 1) commercial TEp-15; 2) used motor;
3) exhaustively treated used motor; 4) VIITiN lubricant composition.

due to the minimal thickness of the oil film and consequently the maximum closeness of the expected results to the
real conditions of use of transmission parts and assemblies.
The ball wear scar diameter was 0.28 mm for TEp-15 commercial oil, 0.54 mm for used motor oil before
treatment, 0.29 mm after exhaustive treatment, and 0.18 mm for VIITiN lubricant composition.
The minimum wear scar diameter for the composition can be attributed to the relatively good lubricant
properties of its base – exhaustively treated used motor oil, which acts as a separating agent during treatment
with KP-20 thickener and Pigment OJSC additive package.
The 2-2.5 times larger wear scar diameter for the used motor oil than for the other samples, despite the
greater film thickness than for the commercial transmission oil, can be attributed to the presence of particulate
contaminants in the latter which cause wear of surfaces during friction.
J u d g i n g b y t h e d a t a i n Ta b l e 2 , t h e m i n i m u m w e a r s c a r d i a m e t e r i n u s i n g t h e l u b r i c a n t
composition is attained when its base – exhaustively treated used motor oil – contains 5% KP-20 thickener
and 5% Pigment OJSC additive package (AP). This is additional confirmation of the sufficiently high level of the
performance properties of the composition as a transmission oil analog.

REFERENCES
1. V. V. Strikov, A. N. Zazulya, and I. G. Golubev, Modern Technologies and Equipment for Restoring Used
Oils [in Russian], Rosinformizdat, Moscow (2001).
2. RF Patent No. 2163253.
3. V. M. Shkol’nikov (ed.), Handbook of Fuels, Lubricants, Industrial Fluids [in Russian], Tekhinform,
Moscow (1999).

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